Communication apparatus and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for communication apparatus

ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus may include: a first interface being set in one of a first operating state and a second operating state; a second interface; and an apparatus controller. The first interface is configured to: receive specific access point information in a case where a wireless connection is established in a situation where the first interface is set in the first operating state; and not receive the specific access point information in a case where a wireless connection via the first interface is established in a situation where the first interface is set in the second operating state. The apparatus controller performs: setting the first interface in the first operating state in a case where the access point information is not registered; registering the specific access point information; and setting the first interface in the second operating state in a case where the specific access point information is registered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/229,219, filed Aug. 5, 2016, which claims priority to Japanese PatentApplication No. 2015-155532, filed on Aug. 5, 2015, the entire contentsof which are hereby incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technique disclosed in the present specification relates to acommunication apparatus capable of establishing a wireless connectionwith an access point.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

A conventional printer receives access point information used for awireless connection with an access point, from an operation terminal byperforming a tag communication, which is a wireless communicationbetween a tag antenna of a wireless tag for a printer, this tag antennabeing provided in the printer, and a first antenna provided in theoperation terminal. The printer causes a memory of the printer to storethe received access point information, and performs a wirelessconnection with the access point.

SUMMARY

The above printer receives new access point information from theoperation terminal each time a tag communication is performed with theoperation terminal, and causes the memory to store the new access pointinformation. That is, in the conventional technique, the access pointinformation in the memory of the printer can change each time the tagcommunication is performed. Therefore, the access point information canchange even in a situation where the printer should not change theaccess point information in the memory.

In the present specification, a technique is provided capable ofsuppressing registration of the access point information in a situationwhere the access point information is not to be registered.

A communication apparatus disclosed in this specification may comprise:a first interface configured to perform a wireless communication inaccordance with a first communication scheme, the first interface beingset in one of a plurality of operating states including a firstoperating state and a second operating state different from the firstoperating state; a second interface configured to perform a wirelesscommunication in accordance with a second communication scheme differentfrom the first communication scheme; an apparatus memory comprising afirst registration region in which access point information is to beregistered, the access point information being for establishing awireless connection with an access point via the second interface; andan apparatus controller. The first interface is configured to: receivespecific access point information from a first terminal device in a casewhere a wireless connection between the communication apparatus and thefirst terminal device via the first interface is established in asituation where the first interface is set in the first operating state;and not receive the specific access point information from a secondterminal device in a case where a wireless connection between thecommunication apparatus and the second terminal device via the firstinterface is established in a situation where the first interface is setin the second operating state. The apparatus controller is configured toperform: setting the operating state of the first interface in the firstoperating state in a case where the access point information is notregistered in the first registration region; registering the specificaccess point information in the first registration region in a casewhere the first interface receives the specific access point informationfrom the first terminal device; and setting the operating state of thefirst interface in the second operating state in a case where thespecific access point information is registered in the registrationregion.

Moreover, a control method for implementation of the aforementionedcommunication apparatus, a computer program, and a computer-readablerecording medium which stores the computer program, are also novel anduseful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows configuration of a communication system;

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of processes of a processor of an NFCinterface;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an I/F controlling process of a CPU of acontroller;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a main process of the CPU of the controller;

FIG. 5 shows a sequence diagram of a case A1 in which a printer performsa print before a Wi-Fi connection is established between the printer andan access point;

FIG. 6 shows a sequence diagram of a case A2 in which a Wi-Fi connectionis established between the printer and the access point; and

FIG. 7 shows a sequence diagram of a case A3 in which the printerperforms a print after a Wi-Fi connection has been established betweenthe printer and the access point.

EMBODIMENT First Embodiment

(Configuration of Communication System 2; FIG. 1)

A communication system 2 comprises a printer 10, portable terminals 80,90, and APs (abbreviation of Access Point) 100, 110. The printer 10 andthe portable terminals 80, 90 are capable of performing a wirelesscommunication in accordance with the Wi-Fi scheme (called “Wi-Ficommunication” below), and a wireless communication in accordance withthe NFC (abbreviation of Near Field Communication) scheme (called “NFCcommunication” below).

(Configuration of Printer 10)

The printer 10 is a peripheral apparatus of a PC (abbreviation ofPersonal Computer), or the like, and is a peripheral apparatus capableof performing a print function. The printer 10 comprises an operationunit 12, a display unit 14, a print performing unit 16, a wiredinterface 20, a Wi-Fi interface 22, an NFC interface 24, and acontroller 30. The units 12 to 30 are connected to a bus wire (referencenumber omitted). Below, interface may be described as “I/F”.

The operation unit 12 comprises a plurality of keys. A user can inputvarious instructions to the printer 10 by operating the operation unit12. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information.The print performing unit 16 comprises an ink jet method, laser method,etc. printing mechanism.

The wired I/F 20 is an I/F for performing a wired communication. When acommunication cable (not shown) is connected with the wired I/F 20, thewired I/F 20 transitions from a link down state to a link up state. Onthe other hand, when the communication cable is removed from the wiredI/F 20, the wired I/F 20 transitions from the link up state to the linkdown state.

The Wi-Fi I/F 22 is an I/F for performing a wireless communication inaccordance with the Wi-Fi scheme. The Wi-Fi scheme is a wirelesscommunication scheme conforming to the standards developed by the Wi-FiAlliance, and is a wireless communication scheme based on e.g., IEEE(abbreviation of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,Inc.) standard 802.11 and standards conforming thereto (e.g., 802.11a,11b, 11g, 11n, etc.). In particular, the Wi-Fi I/F 22 supports the WFD(abbreviation of Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)) scheme developedby the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The NFC I/F 24 is a wireless I/F for performing an NFC communication(i.e. a type of near-field wireless communication) in accordance withthe NFC scheme. The NFC scheme is a wireless communication scheme basedon, e.g., international standard ISO/IEC 21481 or 18092.

The NFC I/F 24 comprises a processor 25, an I/F memory 26, a buffer 27,and an NFC antenna 28. The processor 25 is capable of communicating withthe controller 30, and performs various processes in accordance with aprogram (not shown) in the I/F memory 26.

The I/F memory 26 is a non-volatile memory, and is a memory for storinginformation for sending to an external. WFD connection information 40 aand belong network information 42 b (or 42 c) are stored in the I/Fmemory 26. Below, network may be referred to as “NW”.

The WFD connection information 40 a is information for establishing aWi-Fi connection with the printer 10 which is operating as a parentstation (i.e., G/O (Group Owner)) of a WFD NW, and includes variousinformation (i.e., SSID (abbreviation of Service Set Identifier),password, authentication scheme, encryption scheme) used in the WFD NWin which the printer 10 operates as the G/O.

The belong NW information is either AP NW information 42 b or wired NWinformation 42 c. The AP NW information 42 b is information used forperforming a Wi-Fi communication with the printer 10 via an AP (e.g.,the AP 100), and includes various information (i.e., MAC address, IPaddress, subnet mask, and UUID (abbreviation of Universally UniqueIdentifier) of the printer 10) of the printer 10 used in an AP NW formedby the AP.

In a case where the wired I/F 20 is linked up, the wired NW information42 c is stored in the I/F memory 26. The wired NW information 42 c isinformation used for performing a wired communication with the printer10 via the wired NW, and includes various information (i.e., MACaddress, IP address, subnet mask, UUID of the printer 10) of the printer10 used in the wired NW.

In the example of FIG. 1, the printer 10 has established a Wi-Ficonnection with the AP 100. Further, the wired I/F 20 of the printer 10is not linked up. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 1, the belong NWinformation being stored in the I/F memory 26 is the AP NW information42 b. Below, the description of the configuration of the printer 10 willcontinue in accordance with the example of a Wi-Fi connection beingestablished between the printer 10 and the AP 100 (i.e., the example ofFIG. 1).

The buffer 27 is a volatile memory, and is a memory for temporarilystoring information received from an external via the NFC I/F 24. TheNFC antenna 28 is an antenna for receiving or sending various data whenperforming an NFC communication with another apparatus.

Moreover, an I/F called an NFC forum device, and an I/F called an NFCtag, are known as I/F types for performing an NFC communication. In thepresent embodiment, the NFC I/F 24 is an NFC forum device.

The NFC forum device is an I/F capable of selectively operating in anymode of P2P (abbreviation of Peer To Peer) mode, R/W (abbreviation ofReader/Writer) mode, and CE (abbreviation of Card Emulation) mode. Forexample, in a case where both an NFC I/F of a first apparatus and an NFCI/F of a second apparatus are operating in P2P mode, the first andsecond apparatuses can perform two-way communication of data. Further,e.g., in a case where the NFC I/F of the first apparatus is operating inReader mode of R/W mode, and the NFC I/F of the second apparatus isoperating in CE mode, the first apparatus can read out data from thesecond apparatus, i.e., can perform reception of data from the secondapparatus. Further, e.g., in a case where the NFC I/F of the firstapparatus is operating in Writer mode of R/W mode, and the NFC I/F ofthe second apparatus is operating in CE mode, the first apparatus canwrite data to the second apparatus, i.e., can perform sending of data tothe second apparatus.

On the other hand, the NFC tag is not an I/F capable of selectivelyoperating in any mode of the three modes described above, but is an I/Ffunctioning as an IC tag.

In the present embodiment, an operating state of the NFC I/F 24, whichis an NFC forum device, is set in either a first operating state inwhich CE mode is turned ON (i.e. activated), and R/W mode and P2P modeare turned OFF (i.e. invalidated), or a second operating state in whichCE mode is turned OFF, and R/W mode and P2P mode are turned ON (see FIG.3).

In a case where the operating state of the NFC I/F 24 is set in theaforementioned first operating state, the NFC I/F 24 operates in thesame manner as an IC tag of the NFC scheme (i.e. NFC tag). There are aplurality of types of NFC tag, including Type 4 and Type 3. Each typehas a different radio wave modulation scheme and communication rules.Specifically, Type 4 is a communication Type defined by theinternational standard of ISO/IEC 14443, and Type 3 is a communicationType defined by the international standard of ISO/IEC 18092. Differencesbetween Type 4 and Type 3 will be described briefly. For example, in acase where a terminal device is to send either of a Write command orRead command to the Type 4 NFC tag, before sending either command, theterminal device sends a Select Request for confirming ability of the NFCtag for each command. The terminal device sends the command to be sentwhen receiving from the NFC tag a signal indicating ability to processthe command to be sent, and does not send the command to be sent whenreceiving from the NFC tag a signal indicating inability to process thecommand to be sent. By contrast, in a case where the terminal device isto send commands to the Type 3 NFC tag, the terminal device sends thecommands without sending a Select Request. The NFC I/F 24 of the presentembodiment operates in the same manner as the Type 4 NFC tag in the caseof operating in the first operating state.

Below, an NFC connection established between the printer 10 in which CEmode is ON and the portable terminal 80 in which R/W mode is ON, iscalled “first NFC connection”, and an NFC connection established betweenthe printer 10 in which P2P mode is ON and the portable terminal 80 inwhich P2P mode is ON is called “second NFC connection”.

Here, differences between the Wi-Fi I/F 22 and the NFC I/F 24 will bedescribed. A communication speed of a wireless communication via theWi-Fi I/F 22 (e.g., maximum communication speed is 11 to 600 Mbps) isfaster than a communication speed of a wireless communication via theNFC I/F 24 (e.g., maximum communication speed is 100 to 424 Kbps).Further, a frequency of a carrier wave (e.g. a 2.4 GHz band or a 5.0 GHzband) upon a wireless communication via the Wi-Fi I/F 22 is differentfrom a frequency of a carrier wave (e.g. a 13.56 MHz band) upon awireless communication via the NFC I/F 24. Further, a maximum distanceof a wireless communication that can be performed via the Wi-Fi I/F 22(e.g., about 100 m at maximum) is greater than a maximum distance of awireless communication that can be performed via the NFC I/F 24 (e.g.,about 10 cm at maximum).

The controller 30 comprises a CPU 32 and a main memory 34. The CPU 32 isa processor which performs various processes in accordance with aprogram stored in the main memory 34. The main memory 34 is configuredby a RAM, ROM, etc., and stores various information in addition to theaforementioned program. Further, the main memory 34 comprises a WFDinformation registration region 34 a, an AP information registrationregion 34 b, and a wired information registration region 34 c.

The WFD information registration region 34 a is a region forregistration of information related to the WFD NW in which the printer10 is operating as a parent station (i.e. G/O). Specifically, the WFDconnection information 40 a and the WFD NW information 42 a areregistered in the WFD information registration region 34 a. The WFD NWinformation 42 a is information used for performing a wirelesscommunication with the printer 10 by using the WFD NW in which theprinter 10 is operating as G/O. Specifically, the WFD NW information 42a includes various information (i.e., MAC address, IP address, subnetmask, UUID of the printer 10) of the printer 10 used in the WFD NW inwhich the printer 10 is operating as G/O.

The AP information registration region 34 b is a region for registrationof information related to the AP NW formed by the AP 100 with which theprinter 10 has established a Wi-Fi connection. Specifically, APconnection information 40 b and the AP NW information 42 b areregistered in the AP information registration region 34 b. The APconnection information 40 b includes various information (i.e., SSID ofthe AP NW, password, BSSID of the AP NW (abbreviation of Basic ServiceSet Identifier), specifically, a MAC address “M100” of the AP 100) usedfor establishing a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 100.

The wired information registration region 34 c is a region forregistration of the wired NW information 42 c. In the example of FIG. 1,the wired I/F 20 has not been linked up, and the wired NW information 42c has not been registered in the wired information registration region34 c. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the wired NW information 42 c in the wiredinformation registration region 34 c is shown by a broken line.

(Configuration of Portable Terminals 80, 90)

The portable terminal 80 is a portable terminal device such as a mobiletelephone (e.g. a smartphone), a PDA, a notebook PC, a tablet PC, aportable music playback device or a mobile movie playback device. Theportable terminal 80 comprises a Wi-Fi I/F similar to the Wi-Fi I/F 22of the printer 10. Further, the portable terminal 80 comprises an NFCI/F. The NFC I/F of the portable terminal 80 is the aforementioned NFCforum device. The NFC I/F of the portable terminal 80 is operating in astate in which R/W mode and P2P mode are ON, and CE mode is OFF. Theportable terminal 80 further comprises an operation unit, display unit,controller, etc. (not shown). The portable terminal 90 has the sameconfiguration as the portable terminal 80. Moreover, the portableterminal 80 has established a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 100, and theportable terminal 90 has established a Wi-Fi connection with an AP 110.

(Configuration of APs 100, 110)

The APs 100, 110 operate as a parent station of a Wi-Fi NW (i.e. the APNW), forming the AP NW. The printer 10 and the portable terminal 80belong as child stations (specifically, stations) to the AP NW formed bythe AP 100. The AP 100 relays Wi-Fi communication between the printer 10and the portable terminal 80. The portable terminal 90 belongs as achild station to the AP NW formed by the AP 110. The BSSID (i.e., theMAC address of the AP 100) of the AP NW formed by the AP 100 is “M100”.The BSSID (i.e., the MAC address of the AP 110) of the AP NW formed bythe AP 110 is “M110”.

(Process when Power of Printer 10 is Turned ON)

In a case where the power of the printer 10 is turned ON, the processor25 of the NFC I/F 24 starts the processes of FIG. 2, and the CPU 32 ofthe controller 30 starts the processes of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Apart fromthe processes of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the CPU 32 of the controller 30further performs a process (not shown) in accordance with a state of thewired I/F 20. This process will be described first before describing theprocesses of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4.

(Process in Accordance with State of Wired I/F)

Regardless of whether the AP connection information 40 b and the AP NWinformation 42 b have been registered in the AP information registrationregion 34 b of the main memory 34, when the wired I/F 20 transitionsfrom the link down state to the link up state, the CPU 32 registers thewired NW information 42 c (see FIG. 1) in the wired informationregistration region 34 c of the main memory 34. Further, the CPU 32provides the wired NW information 42 c to the NFC I/F 24. Thereby, thewired NW information 42 c is stored as the belong NW information in theI/F memory 26 of the NFC I/F 24. Then, when the wired I/F 20 transitionsfrom the link up state to the link down state, the CPU 32 deletes thewired NW information 42 c from the wired information registration region34 c of the main memory 34 and, further, provides a deletion instructionto the I/F memory 26, deleting the wired NW information 42 c from theI/F memory 26.

(Process of Processor 25 of NFC I/F 24; FIG. 2)

Next, a process performed by the processor 25 of the NFC I/F 24 whenpower of the printer 10 is turned ON will be described with reference toFIG. 2. First, the processor 25 performs monitoring of S10, S30.

In S10, the processor 25 monitors whether a Select Request is receivedfrom a portable terminal (e.g., the portable terminal 80). In a casewhere a user of the portable terminal wishes to cause the printer 10also to join the AP NW which the portable terminal has joined, the userbrings the portable terminal closer to the printer 10 after inputting,to the portable terminal, a predetermined sending instruction forsending AP connection information to the printer 10. Further, in a casewhere the user of the portable terminal wishes to cause the printer 10to perform a print, the user brings the portable terminal closer to theprinter 10 after inputting a predetermined print instruction to theportable terminal. Below, the portable terminal, which is brought closerto the printer 10, is called “target terminal”. In this case, if theoperating state of the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 has been set to theaforementioned first operating state, a first NFC connection isestablished when a distance between the NFC I/F of the target terminaland the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 becomes less than a predetermineddistance (e.g., 10 cm). In that case, the portable terminal first sends,to the printer 10, a Select Request for confirming ability of the NFCtag for the Write command and Read command. In this case, the processor25 receives the Select Request from the target terminal, determines YESin S10, and proceeds to S12.

In S12, the processor 25 sends to the target terminal an OK signalindicating that the NFC I/F 24 is compatible for both the Write commandand the Read command. When receiving the OK signal, the target terminalsends the Write command including the AP connection information beingstored in the target terminal to the printer 10 in a case where theaforementioned predetermined sending instruction has been input, andsends the Read command to the printer 10 in a case where theaforementioned print instruction has been input.

In S14, the processor 25 monitors whether the Write command includingthe AP connection information is received from the target terminal, orwhether the Read command is received from the target terminal. Here, ina case where the Write command is received, YES is determined in S14,and the processor 25 temporarily stores the received AP connectioninformation in the buffer 27 of the NFC I/F 24.

In S16, the processor 25 provides the AP connection information that wasstored in the buffer 27 to the controller 30 without causing the I/Fmemory 26 to store the AP connection information. When S16 ends, theprocess returns to the monitoring of S10, S30.

Unlike the present embodiment, the processor of the NFC I/F may adopt aconfiguration in which the AP connection information is caused to bestored by the I/F memory before being registered in the AP informationregistration region. In that case, there is a possibility that the APconnection information for registration in the AP informationregistration region is read out by another terminal device. By contrast,in the present embodiment, as described above, the processor 25 providesthe AP connection information for registration in the AP informationregistration region 34 b to the controller 30 without storing the APconnection information in the I/F memory 26 (S16). Therefore, it ispossible to suppress occurrence of the AP connection information forregistration in the AP information registration region 34 b being readout by another terminal device.

On the other hand, in a case where the Read command is received in S14,NO is determined in S14, and the process proceeds to S26. In S26, theprocessor 25 reads out the WFD connection information 40 a from the I/Fmemory 26. In S28, the processor 25 sends the WFD connection information40 a to the target terminal. When S28 ends, the process returns to themonitoring of S10, S30.

On the other hand, in S30 the processor 25 monitors whether a second NFCconnection is established. In a case where the operating state of theNFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is set in the aforementioned secondoperating state, the second NFC connection is established when the userbrings the target terminal closer to the printer 10 regardless of whichinstruction of the aforementioned sending instruction or the printinstruction the user of the target terminal has input to the targetterminal. In this case, the processor 25 determines YES in S30, andproceeds to S32.

In S32, the processor 25 provides a predetermined notification (called“notification” below) indicating that the second NFC connection has beenestablished, to the controller 30. As will be described later, uponacquiring the notification from the NFC I/F 24 (YES in S80 of FIG. 4),the CPU 32 of the controller 30 provides, to the NFC I/F 24, the WFDconnection information 40 a being stored in the WFD informationregistration region 34 a, and the belong NW information (i.e., the AP NWinformation 42 b being stored in the AP information registration region34 b or the wired NW information 42 c being stored in the wiredinformation registration region 34 c) (S82 of FIG. 4).

In S34, the processor 25 acquires the WFD connection information 40 aand the belong NW information 42 b (or 42 c) provided from thecontroller 30 (see S82 of FIG. 4). In S36, which is subsequent, theprocessor 25 provides the WFD connection information 40 a and the belongNW information 42 b (or 42 c) acquired in S34 to the target terminal.Upon ending S36, the process returns to the monitoring of S10, S30.

(I/F Controlling Process of CPU 32 of Controller 30; FIG. 3)

Next, an I/F controlling process of the CPU 32 of the controller 30 willbe described with reference to FIG. 3. In S40, the CPU 32 shifts theoperating state of the printer 10 from a device state to the G/O stateof the WFD scheme. Thereby, the CPU 32 operates as the G/O of the WFDNW, and forms the WFD NW in which the printer 10 operates as a parentstation.

Next, in S42, the CPU 32 registers the WFD connection information 40 aand the WFD NW information 42 a in the WFD information registrationregion 34 a (see FIG. 1). The WFD connection information is prepared asfollows. The CPU 32 generates an SSID and password by, e.g., randomlyselecting a character string. The CPU 32 prepares this information byacquiring the predetermined authentication scheme and encryption schemefrom the main memory 34. The WFD NW information is prepared as follows.The CPU 32 prepares these information by acquiring the predetermined MACaddress, subnet mask, and UUID of the printer 10 from the main memory34. The CPU 32 prepares the IP address of the printer 10 by, e.g.,determining one number value from a predetermined number value range.

In S44, the CPU 32 provides the WFD connection information 40 a to theNFC I/F 24. Thereby, the WFD connection information 40 a is stored inthe I/F memory 26.

In S46, the CPU 32 determines whether the AP connection information 40 bhas been registered in the AP information registration region 34 b. Inthe case where the AP connection information 40 b has been registered inthe AP information registration region 34 b, the CPU 32 determines YESin S46, and proceeds to S52. On the other hand, in the case where the APconnection information 40 b has not has been registered in the APinformation registration region 34 b, the CPU 32 determines NO in S46,and proceeds to S48.

In S48, the CPU 32 determines whether the wired NW information 42 c hasbeen registered in the wired information registration region 34 c. Inthe case where the wired NW information 42 c has been registered in thewired information registration region 34 c, the CPU 32 determines YES inS48, and proceeds to S52. On the other hand, in the case where the wiredNW information 42 c has not been registered in the wired informationregistration region 34 c, the CPU 32 determines NO in S48, and proceedsto S50.

In S50, the CPU 32 sets the operating state of the NFC I/F 24 to a statein which CE mode is turned ON, and R/W mode and P2P mode are turned OFF(i.e. the first operating state). In a case where the operating state ofthe NFC I/F 24 is already set in the first operating state at the timeof S50, in S50 the CPU 32 does not change the operating state of the NFCI/F 24. Upon ending S50, the process returns to S46.

On the other hand, in S52, the CPU 32 sets the operating state of theNFC I/F 24 to a state in which CE mode is turned OFF, and R/W mode andP2P mode are turned ON (i.e. the second operating state). In a casewhere the operating state of the NFC I/F 24 is already set in the secondoperating state at the time of S52, in S52 the CPU 32 does not changethe operating state of the NFC I/F 24. Upon ending S52, the processreturns to S46.

(Main Process of CPU 32 of Controller 30; FIG. 4)

Next, a main process of the CPU 32 of the controller 30 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4. As described above, when the powerof the printer 10 is turned ON, the CPU 32 starts the processes of FIG.4. The CPU 32 starts monitoring of S60, S70, S80, S90.

In S60, the CPU 32 monitors whether the AP connection information isacquired from the NFC I/F 24. As described above, upon receiving the APconnection information from the target terminal (YES in S14 of FIG. 2),the NFC I/F 24 provides the received AP connection information to thecontroller 30 (S16). In this case, the CPU 32 acquires the AP connectioninformation from the NFC I/F 24. In this case, the CPU 32 determines YESin S60, and proceeds to S61.

In S61, the CPU 32 sends a Wi-Fi connection request to an AP (e.g., theAP 100) via the Wi-Fi I/F 22. Specifically, the CPU 32 sends a Wi-Ficonnection request (Probe Request) including the SSID in the APconnection information acquired in S60, to the AP. Below, the AP usingthe SSID in the Wi-Fi connection request, i.e., the AP that is adestination of the Wi-Fi connection request, is called “target AP”.

In S62, the CPU 32 performs a Wi-Fi connection process, and establishesa Wi-Fi connection with the target AP. Specifically, the CPU 32 sends anAuthentication Request and Association Request and, further, performs a4-way handshake with the target AP. Thereby, the printer 10 can join, asa child station, the AP NW formed by the target AP. The CPU 32 furtherreceives the AP NW information from the target AP.

In S64, the CPU 32 registers the AP connection information 40 b acquiredin S60 in the AP information registration region 34 b. In S66, the CPU32 registers the AP NW information 42 b received in S62 in the APinformation registration region 34 b. In S68, the CPU 32 provides the APconnection information 40 b acquired in S62 to the NFC I/F 24. Thereby,the AP NW information 42 b is stored as the belong NW information in theI/F memory 26 of the NFC I/F 24. When S68 ends, the process returns tothe monitoring of S60, S70, S80, S90.

On the other hand, in S70, the CPU 32 monitors whether a Wi-Ficonnection request is received from the target terminal via the Wi-FiI/F 22. In a case of receiving the WFD connection information 40 a (seeS28, S36 of FIG. 2), the target terminal can send a Wi-Fi connectionrequest (specifically, a Probe Request) including the SSID in the WFDconnection information 40 a to the printer 10. Upon receiving the Wi-Ficonnection request from the target terminal, the CPU 32 determines YESin S70, and proceeds to S72.

In S72, the CPU 32 performs a Wi-Fi connection process, and establishesa Wi-Fi connection with the target terminal. Specifically, uponreceiving the Wi-Fi connection request (i.e. Probe Request), the CPU 32sends a response signal (i.e. Probe Response) to the target terminal.Next, the CPU 32 receives an Authentication Request and AssociationRequest from the target terminal, and sends a response signal to thetarget terminal. Then, the CPU 32 performs a 4-way handshake with thetarget terminal. When the aforementioned processes end, the Wi-Ficonnection with the target terminal is established. The CPU 32 writesthe MAC address of the target terminal in an administration list (notshown). Thereby, the CPU 32 can cause the target terminal to join, as achild station (i.e. client), the WFD NW formed in S40 of FIG. 3.

In S74, the CPU 32 receives print data from the target terminal via theWi-Fi I/F 22 by using the WFD NW, provides the print data to the printperforming unit 16, and performs a print in accordance with the printdata by causing the print performing unit 16 to perform a print of animage represented by the print data.

In S76, the CPU 32 disconnects the Wi-Fi connection with the targetterminal by deleting the MAC address of the target terminal from theadministration list. When S76 ends, the process returns to themonitoring of S60, S70, S80, S90.

On the other hand, in S80, the CPU 32 monitors whether the notificationis acquired from the NFC I/F 24. As described above, in a case where thesecond NFC connection is established, the NFC I/F 24 provides thenotification to the controller 30 (S32 of FIG. 2). In this case, the CPU32 acquires the notification from the NFC I/F 24. In this case, the CPU32 determines YES in S80, and proceeds to S82.

In S82, the CPU 32 provides, to the NFC I/F 24, the WFD connectioninformation 40 a in the WFD information registration region 34 a, andthe belong NW information in the main memory 34 (i.e., the AP NWinformation 42 b in the AP information registration region 34 b or thewired NW information 42 c in the wired information registration region34 c). Upon ending S82, the process returns to the monitoring of S60,S70, S80, S90.

On the other hand, in S90 the CPU 32 monitors whether print data isreceived from the target terminal. In a case where the target terminalhas already belonged to the same NW as the printer 10, the CPU 32 doesnot receive the aforementioned Wi-Fi connection request from the targetterminal (NO in S70). For example, if the printer 10 has alreadyestablished a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 100, the target terminalreceives both the WFD connection information 40 a and the AP NWinformation 42 b from the printer 10 (S36 of FIG. 2). The targetterminal attempts a Wi-Fi communication with the printer 10 via the AP100 by using the information included in the AP NW information 42 b. Ifthe communication succeeds, it is confirmed that the target terminal andthe printer 10 are belonging to the same AP NW. In that case, the targetterminal sends print data to the printer 10 via the AP 100 withoutsending the aforementioned Wi-Fi connection request to the printer 10.Further, e.g., if the wired I/F 20 of the printer 10 is linked up, thetarget terminal receives both the WFD connection information 40 a andthe wired NW information 42 c from the printer 10 (S36 of FIG. 2). Byperforming a Wi-Fi communication via the AP 100 by using the informationincluded in the wired NW information 42 c, the target terminal attemptscommunication with the printer 10 via a wired LAN which may be connectedwith the AP 100. If the communication succeeds, it is confirmed that thetarget terminal and the printer 10 are belonging to the same wired NW.In that case, the target terminal sends print data to the printer 10 byusing the wired NW without sending the aforementioned Wi-Fi connectionrequest to the printer 10. In this case, the CPU 32 acquires the printdata via the Wi-Fi I/F 22 or the wired I/F 20. The CPU 32 determines YESin S90, and proceeds to S92.

In S92, the CPU 32 performs a print in accordance with the print datareceived in S90. Upon ending S92, the process returns to the monitoringof S60, S70, S80, S90.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the case where the APconnection information is not registered in the AP informationregistration region 34 b, and the wired I/F 20 is not linked up, theprocessor 25 receives the Write command including the AP connectioninformation from the target terminal (S10 to S16). The CPU 32 registersthe AP connection information in the AP information registration region34 b (S60 to S64 of FIG. 4). On the other hand, in the case where the APconnection information is not registered in the AP informationregistration region 34 b, and the wired I/F 20 is linked up, theprocessor 25 does not receive the Write command including the APconnection information from the target terminal (YES in S30). That is,in the present embodiment, the printer 10 can switch whether to registerthe AP connection information in the AP information registration region34 b in response to whether the wired I/F 20 is linked up. On the otherhand, in a case where the printer 10 is configured such that while oneof the wired I/F 20 and the Wi-Fi I/F 22 is being used, the otherthereof cannot be used, in order to reduce processing load caused bycommunication, there is a possibility that, while the wired I/F 20 islinked up, the wired NW may be disconnected at the time of allowing theregistration of the AP connection information for performing a Wi-Ficonnection with the AP. In the present embodiment, it is possible tosuppress occurrence of the aforementioned situation.

(Specific Case)

Next, specific cases A1 to A3 realized by the flowcharts of FIG. 2 toFIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7.

(Case A1; FIG. 5)

Case A1 shows a case in which the printer 10 receives print data fromthe portable terminal 80 and performs a print before a Wi-Fi connectionbetween the printer 10 and the AP 100 is established. Moreover, at astart time of case A1, the AP connection information 40 b has not beenregistered in the AP information registration region 34 b of the printer10, and the wired NW information 42 c has also not been registered inthe wired information registration region 34 c (i.e., the wired I/F 20is not linked up). That is, at the start time of case A1, the operatingstate of the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is set in the first operatingstate (i.e., CE mode is ON, R/W mode and P2P mode are OFF). Further, atthe start time of case A1, the portable terminal 80 has established aWi-Fi connection with the AP 100, and the portable terminal 90 hasestablished a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 110 (see FIG. 1).

In A01, the user of the portable terminal 80 inputs a predeterminedprint instruction to the portable terminal 80. Next, in A02, the user ofthe portable terminal 80 brings the portable terminal 80 closer to theprinter 10.

In T10, a first NFC connection between the NFC I/F of the portableterminal 80 and the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is established by thedistance between these I/Fs becoming less than a predetermined distance(e.g., 10 cm).

In T12, the printer 10 receives a Select Request from the portableterminal 80 (YES in S10 of FIG. 2) and, in T14, sends an OK signal tothe portable terminal 80 (S12). Next, in T16 the printer 10 receives aRead command for requesting sending of the information in the I/F memory26, from the portable terminal 80 (NO in S14 of FIG. 2) and, in T18,sends the WFD connection information 40 a being stored in the I/F memory26 to the portable terminal 80 (S26, S28 of FIG. 2).

In T20, the printer 10 receives a Wi-Fi connection request including theSSID in the WFD connection information 40 a (T18) from the portableterminal 80 (YES in S70 of FIG. 4) and, in T22, establishes a Wi-Ficonnection with the portable terminal 80 (S72). Next, in T24, uponreceiving print data from the portable terminal 80, in T26 the printer10 performs a print in accordance with the received print data (S74).Next, in T28, the printer 10 disconnects the Wi-Fi connection with theportable terminal 80 (S76).

As described above, in the present embodiment, in a situation where theNFC I/F 24 is set in the first operating state, the printer 10 can sendthe WFD connection information 40 a in the I/F memory 26 to the portableterminal 80. Therefore, the printer 10 can establish a Wi-Fi connectionwith the portable terminal 80 via the Wi-Fi I/F 22. Therefore, it ispossible to cause the portable terminal 80 to join the WFD NW formed bythe printer 10.

(Case A2; FIG. 6)

Case A2 shows a case in which a Wi-Fi connection between the printer 10and the AP 100 is established. Moreover, case A2 is a case after theending of case A1. That is, at the start time of case A2, also, the APconnection information 40 b is not registered in the AP informationregistration region 34 b of the printer 10, and the wired NW information42 c is not registered in the wired information registration region 34c. At the start time of case A2, also, the operating state of the NFCI/F 24 is the first operating state.

In A21, the user of the portable terminal 80 inputs the predeterminedsending instruction, for sending the AP connection information to theprinter 10, to the portable terminal 80. Next, in A22, the user of theportable terminal 80 brings the portable terminal 80 closer to theprinter 10.

In T50, the first NFC connection between the NFC I/F of the portableterminal 80 and the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is established by thedistance between these I/Fs becoming less than the predetermineddistance.

In T52, the printer 10 receives a Select Request from the portableterminal 80 (YES in S10) and, in T54, sends an OK signal to the portableterminal 80 (S12). Next, in T56, the printer 10 receives a Write commandincluding the AP connection information from the portable terminal 80(YES in S14).

Next, in T58, the printer 10 sends a Wi-Fi connection request to the AP100 (S61 of FIG. 4) and, in T60, establishes a Wi-Fi connection with theAP 100 (S62). Thereby, the printer 10 joins the AP NW formed by the AP100. Next, in T62 the printer 10 receives the AP NW information from theAP 100, and in T64, T66, registers the AP connection information and theAP NW information in the AP information registration region 34 b (S64,S66). Next, in T68, the printer 10 provides the AP NW information to theNFC I/F 24 (S68). Thereby, the AP NW information (see reference number42 b of FIG. 1) is stored in the I/F memory 26 of the printer 10. Next,in T70, the printer 10 shifts the operating state of the NFC I/F 24 fromthe first operating state to the second operating state (i.e., CE modeis OFF, R/W mode and P2P mode are ON) (S52 of FIG. 3).

Then, in A31, the user of the portable terminal 90 inputs a sendinginstruction to the portable terminal 90. Next, in A32, the user of theportable terminal 90 brings the portable terminal 90 closer to theprinter 10.

In T80, a second NFC connection between the NFC I/F of the portableterminal 90 and the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is established by thedistance between these I/Fs becoming less than the predetermineddistance.

In T82, the CPU 32 of the printer 10 acquires the notification from theNFC I/F 24 (YES in S80 of FIG. 4) and, in T84, provides the WFDconnection information 40 a in the WFD information registration region34 a and the AP NW information 42 b in the AP information registrationregion 34 b to the NFC I/F 24 (S82 of FIG. 4). In T86, the processor 25sends the WFD connection information 40 a and the AP NW information 42 bto the portable terminal 90 (S36 of FIG. 2).

Since the sending instruction has been input and the print instructionhas not been input to the portable terminal 90, the portable terminal 90does not send the Wi-Fi connection request to the printer 10.

Therefore, in T88, the printer 10 does not receive the Wi-Fi connectionrequest from the portable terminal 90. Further, the printer 10 does notreceive the Write command including the AP connection information fromthe portable terminal 90. In this case, as shown in T90, the printer 10does not overwrite the AP connection information 40 b in the APinformation registration region 34 b with new AP connection information.

As described above, in the present embodiment, after the AP connectioninformation 40 b has been registered in the AP information registrationregion 34 b, the printer 10 does not receive the Write command includingthe AP connection information from the portable terminal 90. Moreover,by shifting the operating state of the NFC I/F 24 from the firstoperating state to the second operating state, it can be said that theprinter 10 is prohibiting the NFC I/F 24 from receiving the Writecommand including the AP connection information. Therefore, the printer10 can prevent the AP connection information 40 b registered in the APinformation registration region 34 b from being replaced by other APconnection information.

(Case A3; FIG. 7)

Case A3 shows a case in which the printer 10 receives print data fromthe portable terminals 80, 90 and performs a print after a Wi-Ficonnection with the AP 100 has been established. Moreover, case A3 is acase after the ending of case A2 (FIG. 6). That is, at the start time ofcase A3, the printer 10 has established a Wi-Fi connection with the AP100. The NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 operates in the second operatingstate.

In A41, the user of the portable terminal 80 inputs a predeterminedprint instruction to the portable terminal 80. Next, in A42, the user ofthe portable terminal 80 brings the portable terminal 80 closer to theprinter 10.

In T100, a second NFC connection is established.

In T102, upon acquiring the notification from the NFC I/F 24 (S80 ofFIG. 4), in T104, the CPU 32 of the printer 10 provides the WFDconnection information 40 a and the AP NW information 42 b to the NFCI/F 24 (S82). In T106, the processor 25 sends the WFD connectioninformation 40 a and the AP NW information 42 b to the portable terminal80 (S36 of FIG. 2).

As described above, in the present embodiment, in a situation where theNFC I/F 24 is set in the second operating state, the printer 10 can sendthe WFD connection information 40 a to the portable terminal 80.

Upon receiving the WFD connection information 40 a and the AP NWinformation 42 b (T106), the portable terminal 80 attempts a Wi-Ficommunication with the printer 10 via the AP 100 by using the receivedAP NW information. In this case, the Wi-Fi communication succeeds.Therefore, the portable terminal 80 can confirm that both the portableterminal 80 and the printer 10 belong to the AP NW formed by the AP 100.

In T108, T110, the printer 10 receives print data from the portableterminal 80 via the AP 100. In this case, the printer 10 does notreceive the Wi-Fi connection request including the WFD connectioninformation from the portable terminal 80. In T112, the printer 10performs a print in accordance with the received print data.

Then, in A51, the user of the portable terminal 90 inputs the printinstruction to the portable terminal 90. Next, in A52, the user of theportable terminal 90 brings the portable terminal 90 closer to theprinter 10.

Then, the printer 10 performs, with the portable terminal 90, the sameprocesses as T100 to T106 described above.

Upon receiving the WFD connection information 40 a and the AP NWinformation 42 b (T106), the portable terminal 90 attempts a Wi-Ficommunication with the printer 10 via the AP 110 by using the receivedAP NW information. In this case, the Wi-Fi communication fails.Consequently, the portable terminal 90 can confirm that the portableterminal 90 and the printer 10 are not belonging to a common AP NW.

In T120, the printer 10 receives a Wi-Fi connection request includingthe SSID in the WFD connection information from the portable terminal 90(YES in S70 of FIG. 4) and, in T122, establishes a Wi-Fi connection withthe portable terminal 90 (S72). Next, upon receiving print data from theportable terminal 90 in T124, in T126 the printer 10 performs a print inaccordance with the received print data (S74). Next, in T128, theprinter 10 disconnects the Wi-Fi connection with the portable terminal90 (S76).

(Advantage of Present Embodiment)

In the present embodiment, as shown in the example of FIG. 6, uponreceiving the AP connection information 40 b, the printer 10 canestablish a Wi-Fi connection with the AP 100 by using this AP connectioninformation (T60). Then, after the AP connection information receivedfrom the portable terminal 80 has been registered in the AP informationregistration region 34 b, the printer 10 does not receive other APconnection information from the portable terminal 90. The printer 10maintains the registration of the AP connection information 40 b alreadyregistered in the AP information registration region 34 b withoutregistering (i.e. overwriting) the other AP connection informationinstead of the registered AP connection information 40 b. Therefore, inthe present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the registration ofthe AP connection information in a situation where the AP connectioninformation is not to be registered. Moreover, the printer can also besaid to be prohibiting reception and registration of the other APconnection information.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in the example of FIG. 7,after the Wi-Fi connection with the AP 100 has been established, theprinter 10 can send the AP NW information 42 b to the portable terminal90 in addition to the WFD connection information 40 a (T106). Byattempting a Wi-Fi communication with the printer 10 using the AP NWinformation, the portable terminal 80 (90) which has received the AP NWinformation 42 b can confirm whether the portable terminal 80 (90) isbelonging to the AP NW formed by the AP 100, in the same manner as theprinter 10. In the example of FIG. 7, it is possible to confirm that theportable terminal 80 is belonging to the AP NW formed by the AP 100.Therefore, the printer 10 and the portable terminal 80 do not need toestablish a Wi-Fi connection by using the WFD connection information.

(Correspondence Relationship)

The printer 10, the portable terminal 80, and the portable terminal 90are examples of “communication apparatus”, “first terminal device”,“second terminal device”, respectively. Further, the NFC I/F 24, theWi-Fi I/F 22, and the wired I/F 20 are examples of “first interface”,“second interface”, “third interface”, respectively. The NFC scheme isan example of “first communication scheme”. The Wi-Fi scheme is anexample of “second communication scheme”. The controller 30, the mainmemory 34, the AP information registration region 34 b, and the WFDinformation registration region 34 a are examples of “apparatuscontroller”, “apparatus memory”, “first registration region”, and“second registration region”, respectively. The processor 25, the I/Fmemory 26, and the buffer 27 are examples of “interface controller”,“first interface memory”, and “second interface memory”, respectively.The AP connection information received from the portable terminal 80 ofFIG. 6 is an example of “specific access point information”. The WFDconnection information 40 a is an example of “parent stationinformation”. The AP NW information 42 b is an example of “wirelesscommunication information”. The portable terminals 80, 90 of theexamples of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 are examples of “third terminal device”.The Read command is an example of “specific signal”.

S50, S52 of FIG. 3 are examples of “setting the operating state of thefirst interface in the first operating state . . . ”, “setting theoperating state of the first interface in the second operating state . .. ”, respectively. S64 of FIG. 4 is an example of “registering thespecific access point information in the first registration region . . .”. S42 of FIG. 3 is an example of “causing the second registrationregion to store the parent station information”. S44 of FIG. 3 is anexample of “causing the interface memory to store the parent stationinformation”. S82 of FIG. 4 is an example of “providing, . . . , theparent station information to the first interface”. S62 is an example of“establishing . . . ”.

S14, S16 of FIG. 2 are examples of “receiving the specific access point. . . ”, “providing the specific access point information . . . ”,respectively. S26 and S28 are an example of “sending, . . . , the parentstation information to a third terminal device”. S32 is an example of“providing a predetermined notification . . . ”. S36 is an example of“sending, . . . , the provided parent station information to the secondterminal device”.

Specific examples of the technology disclosed in the presentspecification are described above in detail, but these examples aremerely illustrative and place no limitation on the scope of the patentclaims. The technology described in the patent claims also encompassesvarious changes and modifications to the specific examples describedabove. Modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.

(Modification 1) In the embodiment, the processor 25 provides the APconnection information, which was received from the target terminal andstored temporarily in the buffer 27, to the controller 30 withoutstoring the AP connection information in the I/F memory 26 (see S16 ofFIG. 2). The configuration is not limited to this, and the processor 25may provide the AP connection information, which was received from thetarget terminal and stored temporarily in the buffer 27, to thecontroller 30 after having stored the AP connection information in theI/F memory 26.

(Modification 2) In the embodiment, the CPU 32 provides the WFDconnection information 40 a to the NFC I/F 24, and causes the I/F memory26 to store the WFD connection information 40 a (see S68, etc. of FIG.4). Upon receiving the Read command from the target terminal, theprocessor 25 sends the WFD connection information 40 a being stored inthe I/F memory 26 to the target terminal (see S28 of FIG. 2). Theconfiguration is not limited to this, and the CPU 32 may not provide theWFD connection information 40 a to the NFC I/F 24. That is, the WFDconnection information 40 a may not be stored in the I/F memory 26. Inthis case, upon receiving the Read command from the target terminal, theprocessor 25 may provide to the controller 30 a specific notificationindicating that the Read command has been received. Upon acquiring thespecific notification from the NFC I/F 24, the CPU 32 may provide theWFD connection information 40 a in the main memory 34 to the NFC I/F 24.Upon acquiring the WFD connection information 40 a from the controller30, the processor 25 may send the acquired WFD connection information 40a to the target terminal. According to the present modification, theprinter 10 can send the WFD connection information 40 a to the targetterminal without causing the I/F memory 26 to store the WFD connectioninformation 40 a.

(Modification 3) In the embodiment, when the wired I/F 20 is linkeddown, the CPU 32 deletes, from the I/F memory 26, the wired NWinformation 42 c that is being stored in the I/F memory 26. Theconfiguration is not limited to this and, even if the wired I/F 20 islinked down, the CPU 32 may not delete, from the I/F memory 26, thewired NW information 42 c that is being stored in the I/F memory 26.

(Modification 4) In the embodiment, upon establishing a Wi-Fi connectionwith the target AP, the CPU 32 receives the AP NW information from thetarget AP (see S62 of FIG. 4). The CPU 32 registers the received AP NWinformation in the AP information registration region 34 b (see S66).Instead, the CPU 32 may not receive the AP NW information from thetarget AP. For example, the CPU 32 may use information (e.g., subnetmask, etc.) stored in advance in the main memory 34 as at least a partof the AP NW information.

(Modification 5) In the embodiment, the communication system 2 has beendescribed, as an example, that is provided with the printer 10 which iscapable of performing the print function. The communication apparatusprovided in the communication system is not limited to the printer, butmay be a multi-function device capable of performing various functionssuch as print function, scanner function, copy function, FAX function,etc. Further, the communication apparatus may be a scanner capable ofperforming only the scanner function. These devices are also examples of“communication apparatus”.

(Modification 6) In the embodiment, in the case where the power of theprinter 10 is turned ON, the CPU 32 prepares the WFD connectioninformation and the WFD NW information, and registers the WFD connectioninformation and the WFD NW information in the WFD informationregistration region 34 a (S42 of FIG. 3). Further, the CPU 32 causes theI/F memory to store the WFD connection information (S44). Theconfiguration is not limited to this, and the CPU 32 may update the WFDconnection information and the WFD NW information each predeterminedtime interval. Further, the CPU 32 may update the WFD connectioninformation and the WFD NW information each time the Wi-Fi connection inthe WFD NW is disconnected. In these cases, the CPU 32 may register newWFD connection information and new WFD NW information in the WFDinformation registration region 34 a each time the new WFD connectioninformation and the new WFD NW information are prepared. Further, theCPU 32 may store the new WFD connection information in the I/F memory.

(Modification 7) In the embodiment, in a case where the operating stateof the NFC I/F 24 is set in the first operating state, the NFC I/F 24operates as a Type 4 NFC tag. Instead, in the case where the operatingstate of the NFC I/F 24 is set in the first operating state, the NFC I/F24 may operate as a Type 3 NFC tag. In that case, when the power of theprinter 10 is turned ON, the processor 25 may monitor whether the Writecommand including the AP connection information is received from thetarget terminal, whether the Read command is received from the targetterminal, and whether the second NFC connection is established.

(Modification 8) Further, the printer 10 and the portable terminals 80,90 may, instead of the NFC I/Fs, be Bluetooth I/Fs for performing awireless communication in accordance with the Bluetooth scheme (called“BT communication” below). The Bluetooth I/F of this modification isalso an example of “first interface”.

(Modification 9) In the embodiment, in the case where the operatingstate of the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is set in the second operatingstate, CE mode is OFF, and R/W mode and P2P mode are ON. Theconfiguration is not limited to this, and in the case where theoperating state of the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 is set in the secondoperating state, if CE mode is OFF, one of R/W mode and P2P mode may beON, and the other thereof may be OFF.

(Modification 10) In the embodiment, the NFC I/F 24 of the printer 10 isthe NFC forum device which operates in the first operating state, inwhich CE mode is ON and R/W mode and P2P mode are OFF, and the secondoperating state, in which CE mode is OFF and R/W mode and P2P mode areON. The configuration is not limited to this, and the NFC I/F 24 may bean NFC tag. In this modification, a state in which prohibitioninformation which prohibits processing for the Write command is notbeing stored in the memory of the NFC tag may be the first operatingstate, and a state in which the prohibition information is being storedmay be the second operating state. Further, in the case of the firstoperating state, by sending an OK signal indicating that it is possibleto process the Write command for the Select Request from the targetterminal, the NFC I/F 24 may, for the Write command from the targetterminal, receive the Write command including the AP connectioninformation in the same manner as in the embodiment, and perform theprocesses of the embodiment described above. On the other hand, in thecase of the second operating state, by sending an NG signal indicatingthat it is not possible to process the Write command for the SelectRequest from the target terminal, the NFC I/F 24 may not receive theWrite command from the target terminal.

(Modification 11) In the embodiment, the Write command including the APconnection information is not received from the target terminal in thecase where the wired I/F 20 is linked up. The configuration is notlimited to this, and the Write command including the AP connectioninformation may be received from the target terminal in the case wherethe wired I/F 20 is linked up.

(Modification 12) In the embodiments, each process of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4is implemented by software (i.e., program). However, at least oneprocess of the processes of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 may be implemented byhardware such as a logic circuit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication apparatus comprising: a firstinterface configured to perform wireless communication in accordancewith a first communication scheme, the first interface being set in oneof a plurality of operating modes including a first operating mode and asecond operating mode different from the first operating mode; a secondinterface configured to perform wireless communication in accordancewith a second communication scheme different from the firstcommunication scheme; an apparatus memory comprising a firstregistration region in which access point information is to beregistered, the access point information being for establishing awireless connection with an access point via the second interface; andan apparatus controller, wherein the first interface is configured toperform: in a case where the access point information is not registeredin the first registration region, setting the operating mode of thefirst interface to the first operating mode for registering the accesspoint information, wherein the apparatus controller is configured toperform: registering the access point information in the firstregistration region, the access point information being received from aterminal device by the first interface set in the first operating mode;and in a case where the access point information is registered in thefirst registration region, setting the operating mode of the firstinterface to the second operating mode, and wherein the apparatuscontroller does not register the access point information in the firstregistration region in a case where the first interface is set in thesecond operating mode.
 2. The communication apparatus as in claim 1,wherein the first communication scheme is an NFC (abbreviation of NearField Communication) scheme in accordance with an NFC standard, thefirst interface is an NFC forum device of the NFC standard, the firstoperating mode includes a mode where a CE (abbreviation of CardEmulation) mode of the NFC standard is activated and both of a P2P(abbreviation of Peer to Peer) mode of the NFC standard and a R/W(abbreviation of Reader/Writer) mode of the NFC standard areinvalidated, and the second operating mode includes a mode where the CEmode is invalidated and at least one of the P2P mode and the R/W mode isactivated.
 3. The communication apparatus as in claim 1, wherein thefirst interface comprises an interface controller, the interfacecontroller is configured to perform: receiving the access pointinformation from the terminal device, in the case where the wirelessconnection between the communication apparatus and the terminal devicevia the first interface is established in a situation where the firstinterface is set in the first operating mode; and providing the accesspoint information to the apparatus controller in a case where the accesspoint information is received, even in a case where the wirelessconnection between the communication apparatus and the terminal devicevia the first interface is established in a situation where the firstinterface is set in the second operating mode, the access pointinformation is not received from the terminal device, and theregistering of the access point information in the first registrationregion is performed in a case where the access point information isprovided from the first interface.
 4. The communication apparatus as inclaim 1, wherein the first interface comprises an interface controller,the apparatus memory further comprises a second registration region inwhich parent station information is to be registered, the parent stationinformation being for establishing a wireless connection with thecommunication apparatus operating as a parent station of a wirelessnetwork via the second interface, the apparatus controller is furtherconfigured to perform causing the second registration region to storethe parent station information, and the interface controller isconfigured to perform sending the parent station information to theterminal device in a case where a wireless connection between thecommunication apparatus and the terminal device via the first interfaceis established in a situation where the first interface is set in thefirst operating mode, and a specific signal is received from theterminal device.
 5. The communication apparatus as in claim 4, whereinthe first interface further comprises an interface memory, the apparatuscontroller is further configured to perform causing the interface memoryto store the parent station information, the sending of the parentstation information includes reading out the parent station informationfrom the interface memory and sending the parent station informationthat was read out to the terminal device, in the case where the wirelessconnection between the communication apparatus and the terminal devicevia the first interface is established in the situation where the firstinterface is set in the first operating mode, and the specific signal isreceived from the terminal device.
 6. The communication apparatus as inclaim 5, wherein the interface controller is further configured toperform providing a predetermined notification to the apparatuscontroller without receiving the specific signal from the terminaldevice in a case where the wireless connection between the communicationapparatus and the terminal device via the first interface is establishedin a situation where the first interface is set in the second operatingmode, the apparatus controller is further configured to performproviding, in a case where the predetermined notification is providedfrom the first interface, the parent station information to the firstinterface, and the interface controller is further configured toperform, in a case where the parent station information is provided fromthe apparatus controller in response to the predetermined notificationbeing provided to the apparatus controller, sending the provided parentstation information to the terminal device.
 7. The communicationapparatus as in claim 6, wherein the apparatus controller is furtherconfigured to perform establishing a wireless connection between thecommunication apparatus and the access point via the second interface byusing the access point information after the access point informationhas been registered in the first registration region, the providing ofthe parent station information includes providing, in a case where thepredetermined notification is provided from the first interface afterthe wireless connection between the communication apparatus and theaccess point via the second interface has been established, both of theparent station information and wireless communication information forperforming a wireless communication with the communication apparatus viathe access point to the first interface, and the sending of the providedparent station information includes sending, in a case where both of theparent station information and the wireless communication informationare provided from the apparatus controller in response to thepredetermined notification being provided to the apparatus controller,both of the provided parent station information and the providedwireless communication information to the terminal device.
 8. Thecommunication apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the first interfacecomprises: an interface memory; and an interface controller, theinterface memory comprises a first interface memory for storinginformation which is to be sent to an external and a second interfacememory for storing information which is to be received from theexternal, and the interface controller is configured to performproviding the access point information, which is received from theterminal device and stored in the second interface memory, to theapparatus controller, without causing the first interface memory tostore the access point information.
 9. The communication apparatus as inclaim 1, further comprising a third interface configured to perform awired communication, wherein the setting of the operating mode of thefirst interface in the first operating mode is performed in a case wherethe access point information is not registered in the first registrationregion and the third interface is not linked up, and the setting of theoperating mode of the first interface in the second operating mode isperformed in a case where the access point information is not registeredin the first registration region and the third interface is linked up.10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readableinstructions for a communication apparatus, wherein the communicationapparatus comprises: a first interface configured to perform wirelesscommunication in accordance with a first communication scheme, the firstinterface being set in one of a plurality of operating modes including afirst operating mode and a second operating mode different from thefirst operating mode; a second interface configured to perform wirelesscommunication in accordance with a second communication scheme differentfrom the first communication scheme; an apparatus memory comprising afirst registration region in which access point information is to beregistered, the access point information being for establishing awireless connection with an access point via the second interface; andan apparatus controller, wherein the first interface is configured toperform: in a case where the access point information is not registeredin the first registration region, setting the operating mode of thefirst interface to the first operating mode for registering the accesspoint information, the computer-readable instructions, when executed bythe apparatus controller, cause the communication apparatus to perform:registering the access point information in the first registrationregion, the access point information being received from a terminaldevice by the first interface set in the first operating mode; and in acase where the access point information is registered in the firstregistration region, setting the operating mode of the first interfaceto the second operating mode, and wherein the computer-readableinstructions do not cause the communication apparatus to register theaccess point information in the first registration region in a casewhere the first interface is set in the second operating mode.
 11. Amethod performed by an apparatus controller of a communicationapparatus, wherein the communication apparatus comprises: a firstinterface configured to perform wireless communication in accordancewith a first communication scheme, the first interface being set in oneof a plurality of operating modes including a first operating mode and asecond operating mode different from the first operating mode; a secondinterface configured to perform wireless communication in accordancewith a second communication scheme different from the firstcommunication scheme; an apparatus memory comprising a firstregistration region in which access point information is to beregistered, the access point information being for establishing awireless connection with an access point via the second interface; andwherein the first interface is configured to perform: in a case wherethe access point information is not registered in the first registrationregion, setting the operating mode of the first interface to the firstoperating mode for registering the access point information, the methodcomprising: registering the access point information in the firstregistration region, the access point information being received from aterminal device by the first interface set in the first operating mode;and in a case where the access point information is registered in thefirst registration region, setting the operating mode of the firstinterface to the second operating mode, and wherein the access pointinformation is not registered in the first registration region in a casewhere the first interface is set in the second operating mode.